EU financial support for media and civil society in Jordan

The European Commission announced here Tuesday a new funding of 9 million euro for civil society and the media in Jordan. "The media played a key role in the events of the Arab Spring last year. This support shows the EU's continued commitment to make sure that the press in Jordan is as independent as possible and is of the highest possible standards," said EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Stefan Fule, in a statement. The support will help to establish free, independent and high quality journalism by developing training programmes and institutions for media professionals, he noted. The new funding will also help to set up a Civil Society Fund to improve the co-ordination of EU support to civil society organisations in Jordan.